Hey friends and other human beings! It's been a little (read: quite a long) bit of a hiatus but I am back with another edition of Five Things Friday. This is a list of five things that have been buzzing around in my head this week - be they podcasts, books, news articles, games, whatever. This week, I plant a garden and talk about a scary trend rising in American churches, among other things.
Without further ado, here are five things for this Friday:
1. Encanto Revisited
I know, I know. Encanto came out sooooo long ago. But as a constant late-adopter, I watched it months after all the hype had died down. I spent my first couple of viewings trying to make sense of the film. I think it's one of the more complex and nuanced animated films Disney has put out - at least since Inside Out. Why doesn't Mirabel get a gift?!? What does the vision actually mean? And what is it that "fixes" the miracle in the end?
As I've sat with the movie, I don't think any of these are the point. This is a movie about family. It's about the secrets that families sometimes try to keep buried. It's about the stress we often find ourselves in trying to live up to the expectations of our families, whether the expectations are real, or just the ones we expect we're expected to live up to. It's about the townspeople who surround you with love and a helping hand, even though they "have no gifts." And it is about, of course, learning to love yourself just for being you - all of you. I know you know this, dear reader, because you are smart, and saw this movie months ago. But I'm glad I'm learning it now.
2. Overwatch 2 is (finally) here!
After at least three years of teasing, Overwatch 2 is finally here! It's in closed beta testing right now, but it's actually, almost a real thing.
I've shared about Overwatch on 5TF before. I will never not be excited about this game...well, except for the slog that was Competitive Mode. I will also never not tear up a little when they drop something new.
I was living alone in Charlotte. I had one good friend, and that was it. I was in between jobs, underemployed, and unsure where I was going next in life. Along came a game - Overwatch. Through the magic of online video games, I could suddenly connect with a bunch of old friends from Kentucky. The game was entertaining, strategic, and endlessly fun. Best of all, you played on teams of six. So I was regularly hitting up friends and meeting new ones in this new-to-me, weird world of online gaming to play Overwatch. Overwatch carried me with friendship from Charlotte to Birmingham, and, finally, back to home. Though I was going through so much - job changes, break ups, moving around the country - I have so many fond memories of playing this game well into the night with my friends across time and space. I can't wait to play!
3. I planted a garden
For years, this has been my dream. To dig in to the earth and plant. To watch life grow up from the fecund soil. To pick the harvest and make delicious food.
Last year, I finally became a home owner. That is to say, I became a caretaker, a steward of this little plot of land and home in Germantown. And that dream is finally coming true. There is no satisfaction so deep as tilling and digging the soil, long before it is time to plant, putting bulbs and seedlings into the ground, caring for them, and seeing what new life comes forth. I am learning a new rhythm of life of digging, watering, and marveling.
4. Rich Strike wins the Kentucky Derby
There's a lot to say about the Derby, both good and bad. But man, that was an exciting race. If you're reading this and don't know, Rich Strike, a horse with 80-1 odds, came from behind on the last turn and sprinted to the front of the pack to win the Run for the Roses.
Also, as a South End kid, I have to say this is pretty accurate (this is a real picture of Rich Strike, grinning like a fool in front of the Derby trophy):
5. The rise of QAnon in conservative churches
In an article for the New York Times, Ruth Graham wrote an excellent yet disturbing article on the rise of QAnon conspiracy theories in conservative churches. Specifically, her case study was Kevin Thompson, former pastor of the Community Bible Church in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Thompson is, by all accounts, a conservative Evangelical through and through, and has voted Republican all his life. But a passing reference to Tom Hanks in a sermon in the fall of 2020 drew the ire of at least one among his flock, who texted him to say that he must not care about sex trafficking. This, as Thompson learned, was a reference to a QAnon conspiracy theory which claims that the movie star is part of a ring of Hollywood pedophiles.
This was the beginning of a growing fracture between Thompson and some in his congregation, who began viewing some of the things Thompson did as pastor through the lens of politics, rather than faith. Specifically, it revealed an emerging division among Evangelicals across the country between those allied with Donald Trump (and all that comes with him), and those trying to navigate a different way. Thompson had also written a blog post about Black Lives Matter, and hired a Black pastor to lead a congregation in the town's racially diverse north side. He got himself deeper into hot water with the church when he spoke on the Covid-19 vaccine, asking his flock to apply "research and discernment." A member of his church accused him of promoting a "progressive Leftist agenda."
“Jesus talks about how he is the truth, how central truth is,” Mr. Thompson said in an interview. “The moment you lose the concept of truth you’ve lost everything.” - Kevin Thompson
As a result of the tension, Thompson chose to accept a position as an associate pastor in Sacramento.
This has been buzzing in my head all week for a lot of reasons. First, Thompson was born in Fort Smith. He went to school there, and he hoped to never leave there. He was, by no means, a progressive activist. Yet just by bringing up some small bits of truth, he was rejected by his own. I think it is illustrative of a very scary but growing trend - the union of Evangelicals, not just with Republican politics, but with QAnon conspiracies and dangerous zero-sum politics in particular. In April, the Times did another critical expose on this union, detailing churches that host conferences and speakers that promote the Big Lie and Trumpian politics.
I have to think that Thompson didn't go seeking this collision of toxic religion and politics - but still, it found him.
Second, I think it raises an important conversation about the current state of religion and politics, and the fertile ground from which it is springing. There are conservative churches who outright preach politics from their pulpits (or podiums, or podcasts, or TV shows) - think John Hagee, Jim Bakker, and Pat Robertson. And then there are those who preach it in subtler ways. They may touch on generally agreed upon Evangelical subjects such as abortion and advocating against recognition of people who are LGBTQIA+. But if you claim to stand upon certain firm truths, only to abandon them as Evangelicals did in 2016 when they voted overwhelmingly for Trump...and again in 2020, when they voted in even higher numbers for Trump, then there is obviously something very wrong. And the theology you are preaching, teaching, and living will still lead you to this caustic mix of religion and politics.
Third, as Robert Putnam and David Campbell describe in their book, American Grace, history shows that when Christianity and politics are intertwined, as in the 1980s with the rise of the religious right more people actually reject Christian faith rather than embrace it. I think that same phenomenon is happening again, as the nones, those who say they hold no religious beliefs - are the fastest growing group in the American religious landscape. I think Christians, and the church, will have a lot to repent from if this current trend holds.
Fourth, and finally, I've read the book of Revelation. It's not some twisted vision of the end of the world. It's a cautionary vision about Christians who cozy up too close to empire. And - spoiler alert - it doesn't end well.
That's all for now. Happy Friday!
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